Drugs in Utah

Prescription drug abuse among Salt Lake City residents is a growing trend that can have criminal and even deadly consequences.

Photo by: Klesta

Slippery slope

Many cases of prescription drug abuse in Salt Lake City may be due to addicts looking for a quick high. However a large amount of prescription drug abuse often starts as physical dependency to an otherwise simple prescription for a patient suffering with a medical or mental illnesses. Medication prescribed for issues such as pain, depression, ADHD, and sleep disorders can be highly addictive, leaving an otherwise drug free patient desperate for more.

Types of abused prescription drugs

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the most common types of abused prescription drugs are:

Opioids. These include prescriptions for pain such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Demerol. Opioids block the pain receptors from communicating with the brain and are responsible for a large number of physical dependency cases.

Central nervous system depressants such as Xanax and Valium are sedatives that users will take to relax, sleep, or just feel numb.

Stimulants. Stimulant medications such as Ritalin for ADHD are often described as being similar to an amphetamine, giving the user a heart racing high.

Physical, mental and criminal penalties

A prescription drug without a valid prescription from a health care professional is considered a controlled substance. Possession or distribution of a controlled substance brings with it similar penalties as those for meth, marijuana, and cocaine. Not only does prescription drug abuse brings with it criminal penalties, but also physical and mental anguish including overdose and death. Don’t wait until it’s too late to get help. Contact a substance abuse clinic immediately. For those in Salt Lake City who are seeking legal counsel for possession or distribution of prescription drugs, contact a criminal defense attorney to help you get substance abuse support you need instead of jail time.

Police Chief pleads the 5th

10 felony drug cases in Escalante Utah may be dismissed as former police Chief Kevin Worlton refused to testify in court. Worlton objected to the subpoena to testify in the drug cases, stating that the information he would provide would likely incriminate him.

Photo: Greg Willis

Losing the trust of a town

As the only police chief for a town of less than 1,000 people Kevin Worlton wore the badge of trust and respect exclusively. He was solely responsible for serving and protecting the small town of Escalante Utah. Worlton betrayed the trust of those he protected by falsifying documents to acquire search and arrest warrants during an investigation. These fabrications supported the arrest of 6 people.

The investigation and lies begin

In December 2014, then police Chief Kevin Worlton began an investigation on drug use and distribution in Escalante Utah. Starting his investigation, Worlton came to the home of a suspected drug user. He instigated a conversation with the female suspect in which she divulged details that incriminated her. This implicating information the subject provided allowed Worlton to gain a warrant for a blood and urine sample. During this exchange the subject was speaking freely and had not been read her Miranda rights prior to this interaction. However, later when Worlton was seeking warrants to search other Escalante homes, he stated that she had been read her Miranda rights preceding her statements. An audio recording of this conversation verified that was false.

The lies continue

By using information from the first subject, Worlton obtained search warrants for other homes. At one of these homes, Worlton questioned another female suspect inquiring if contacts of hers were selling marijuana. Even though the subject indicated that she didn’t know, Warlton changed her statement in documents to make it seem that she had in fact named her acquaintances as drug distributors. The charges for those contacts went from a simple possession charge to a third-degree felony of distribution because of Worlton’s altered information. Unfortunately for Warlton, this conversation was also being recorded and showed his documented information as being false.

Arrests made based on deceptive information

With the facts Warlton obtained in his investigation mingled with the phony information he added, 6 individuals were arrested. The charges against these people ranged from class B misdemeanors to first-degree felonies. 4 of those arrested have already pleaded guilty to their charges. Conveniently for Warlton, he waited days after the 4 subjects had pleaded guilty to turn in his police reports with the fabricated information.

Charges against the former officer

As evidence of his wrongdoings came to light, Worlton was placed on temporary paid administrative leave in January 2015. Worlton was later terminated from his position as sole police chief of Escalante Utah. Not only did he lose his job, his dishonesty earned him 2 second-degree felonies for making false statements on police reports and a class B misdemeanor for not keeping his reports in order. Although he will not appear in court to testify in the 10 felony cases, he will appear in court on May 21 for his own charges.

Professional legal advice for drug charges

The 4 individuals that have already pleaded guilty to the drug charges will hopefully have their pleas withdrawn. Any information obtained in Worlton’s investigation to charge the 6 individuals is tainted because of his deceitfulness with documented information. This along with his refusal to testify may get all 10 felony cases thrown out. This experience is an excellent example of why being knowledgeable about your rights is imperative, especially before you appear in court. If you are facing drug charges, call an educated criminal defense attorney to study the facts and ensure that your charges are not the result of falsified information.

On Wednesday, March 18, a La Verkin man who was arrested following the March 11 robbery of a Hurricane pharmacy was charged with more than just aggravated robbery for that incident. He was also given additional charges for a previous robbery at the same location almost a year earlier to the date.

Don’t Return to the Scene of the Crime, Especially not to Rob it Again

According to an article in KSL News, just before noon on March 11, Jonathan S. Forest, 37, entered the Hurricane Family Pharmacy, displayed what was later discovered to be an airsoft gun, and made demands for prescription medication.

A witness to the robbery followed Forest after he left the pharmacy. A call to 911 resulted in an arrest of Forest within 6 minutes of the robbery. Forest had the prescription medication and black airsoft gun on his possession. This led to the original charge of aggravated robbery.

However, between his arrest and conviction on March 18, officers were able to link Forest to another robbery of the same pharmacy on March 31, 2014. After obtaining a search warrant for Forest’s place of residence, detectives located evidence “consistent with the first robbery.”

As a result of these new discoveries, Forest was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and nine counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Airsoft Guns Still Result in Aggravated Robbery

According to the Utah Criminal Code 76-6-302 as it applies to this story, aggravated robbery is defined as the act of someone carrying out a robbery and in the process, using or threatening to use “a dangerous weapon as defined 76-1-601.” In that article of the Utah Criminal Code, a dangerous weapon is defined as “any item capable of causing death or serious bodily injury.”

While some may question whether an airsoft gun could cause “serious bodily injury,” the article goes on to define a dangerous weapon as “a facsimile or representation of the item, if…the actor’s use or apparent intended use of the item leads the victim to reasonably believe the item is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury; or the actor represents to the victim verbally or in any other manner that he is control of such an item.”

Aggravated robbery is considered a first degree felony, punishable by anywhere from five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. If you know someone who has been charged with aggravated robbery, don’t leave that wide interpretation of punishment in the hands of a public defender. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney.